Nintendo has treated fans to numerous unexpected surprises this year, including Princess Zelda as the playable character in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, the upcoming revival of the Mario & Luigi RPG series, and the first official Switch Joy-Con charging stand. Wait, what? But it's arguable that last surprise is the biggest, albeit least exciting, of the three since the Nintendo Switch has been available for over seven years.
Nevertheless, if you've been patiently waiting since 2017 for a first-party Switch charging stand, now's your chance to buy one. Nintendo's Joy-Con Two-Way Charging Stand launched today, October 17, and is available for $30 at multiple major retailers.
Official Nintendo Switch Joy-Con Two-Way Charging Stand
$30
Announced in July, Nintendo's first-party charging stand costs $30 and is available at Best Buy, Target, and GameStop. You won't find it on store shelves at the moment, but you can order it online and pick it up at your local Best Buy in a week or so.
It's described as a "two-way" device, meaning you can charge your controllers while connected to the stand or while playing. The actual charger is basically the official Joy-Con grip without the handles. You're essentially turning a pair of Joy-Con controllers into a single USB-C wired controller. It's remarkable that Nintendo hasn't released its own Joy-Con charging stand until 2024, a year that has been filled with speculation around the Nintendo Switch's successor. But perhaps Joy-Con controllers and this stand will be compatible with the Switch 2.
Though this is the first official Joy-Con charging stand, it's not the first Joy-Con charger designed by Nintendo. The now-discontinued Joy-Con Charging Grip was one of the few first-party accessories released alongside the Switch in 2017. A replacement for the standard Joy-Con grip that came with the console, it also charged your controllers while playing. You could refer to that as a one-way Joy-Con charger, though the inclusion of ergonomic handles was a nice bonus. This new two-way option drops the grip and adds the stand.
If you want the original Joy-Con Charging Grip, you can get a preowned one for $20 at GameStop. Alternatively, you could snag a new Japanese edition at Amazon for $32--it'll work just fine with North American Joy-Con controllers.
The Joy-Con Two-Way Charging Stand is the first of its kind made by Nintendo, but it's not the only charging station with the Nintendo seal of approval.
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